Formative Assessment

Padlet is a free, online, bulletin-board style collaboration tool that has multiple potential classroom applications. I first started using Padlet to create virtual exit-slips, and it works very effectively for this purpose. I have recently started using Padlet in a more in-depth and individualised way with my research students and I am loving it. My…

An essential (but sometimes overlooked) aspect of unit planning is determining the background knowledge of the students in the class. Equipped with an understanding of students’ background knowledge, teachers can design learning experiences to meet the needs of the students. This is important, because, “What students already know about the content is one of the…

Student Surveys Student surveys can provide very useful data for teachers regarding their own teaching practice. In particular, they can help teachers to reflect on their teaching strategies, planning processes, lesson activities, assessment instruments and their rapport with students. This year I took a two-pronged approach: A short ‘tick and flick’ survey asking questions such…

Another important aspect of formative assessment is providing effective feedback to students (Marzano, 2003; Jackson, 2009; William, 2012). In order for the feedback to be valuable, it must be designed to move the learning forward (William, 2012). One way to achieve this important goal is to provide the feedback via a checklist. The checklist offers…

One strategy to help students understand the learning goals for a task is to provide a simple rubric. The rubric should break down any jargon found within the success criteria so that students can understand the learning goal (and establish a link between their own work and their likely grade). I distinguish between what I…

The first step to a good formative assessment strategy is articulating clear learning goals. One effective way to do this is to use a Declarative and Procedural Knowledge Checklist. Cognitive psychologists classify knowledge into two categories: declarative knowledge (which the learner knows or understands) and procedural knowledge (which the learner is able to do). In…

One of my professional learning goals this year is to improve my formative assessment practices. I intended to research the area of formative assessment and then settle on three workable sub-goals. Following a great deal of professional reading and reflection, I have settled on a slightly more complex plan as a result of my definition…

What a great way to finish a busy week! Yesterday I spent the day at the Novotel attending “Embedding Formative Assessment with Teacher Learning Communities” with Dylan William. I left the conference yesterday on a high about how such material could transform my skills and innovate my teaching practice, my brain was so full of…

At the beginning of this teaching year I set myself the professional goal of improving my lesson closures/plenaries. Students need the opportunity to consolidate their learning by reflecting on new material, making important links and recapping on newly learned facts and concepts. This year I have tried and tested a number of different lesson closure…